MIDLAND Country singer Easton Corbin doesn’t remember exactly when his love of music started. It’s just something that’s always been there for him.
The Florida native grew up surrounded by country music, whether it was played on the radio or hearing it in public.
“I’ll be honest, it’s something that I’ve always loved since I can remember,” Corbin said by phone interview. “Some of my first memories were of country music. I didn’t want to do anything else. There were no other types of music that I even thought about playing. It’s country music and always has been.”
He’ll be back in the Permian Basin this week when he performs at 6 p.m. May 19 at The Tailgate in Midland.
“It’s going to be great,” Corbin said. “We’re looking forward to this week’s performance. It’s always a great time. There are a lot of great fans in Texas and Midland.”
It’s not his first time performing in Midland as the country star has lost track of how many times he’s returned to the Tall City to perform.
Corbin signed to Mercury Records Nashville in 2009 and released his self-titled debut album in March of 2010 which featured the two number-one hits “A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll With It”.
“That’s what brought me to the table,” Corbin said. “That was my first gig and that’s what got my name out.”
Since then, the rest has been history.
Over the past decade, he’s released different albums and singles.
In January, 2022, he signed a record deal with Stone Country Records.
Earlier this year, he released his newest album “Let’s Do Country Right”.
“I’ll tell you what, it’s been a great experience,” Corbin said of these last couple of years where he’s been working on his newest album. “The last three years, I’ve been between deals. I was with Mercury and then Stone Country Records but for about two and a half years, they say you have your whole life to write your first record which that time again to really write the songs that I love and get back to my roots and just take my time.”
Corbin said it took about two and a half years to make his new album.
“It took a lot of writing and finding those songs and getting the right songs and collecting them together,” Corbin said. “It was a good, cohesive mix.”
He talked about some of the challenges of putting the album together.
“(The toughest part) was probably just narrowing down the songs,” Corbin said. “We wrote so many songs. I’ll bet I put 20 songs off to the side that I’ve written.”
He plans on performing some of his newer material at this week’s concert.
“Yeah, we’re going to go out there and do the hits,” Corbin said. “We’ll do four new songs off the record. We might do a cover or two. But we’re going to give the fans what they want. It’s going to be a great show.”
Corbin grew up in Trenton, Fla., a small town that’s about 45 miles near Gainesville.
He said he was about 12-13 years old when he learned to play the guitar.
“I just love guitar,” Corbin said. “To me guitar has always been the quintessential instrument for me. The guitar has always spoken to me.”
Over the years, he’s always gravitated towards traditional country music.
“That’s always been my thing,” Corbin said. “I’ve always loved Merle Haggard and George Jones,” Corbin said. “I’ve just always gravitated towards that.”
Corbin says he thinks about taking the aspects of traditional country sounds and “marrying” it with a modern sound.
“You have to be fresh and always be evolving but also be yourself,” Corbin said.
Over the years, Corbin has amassed seven Top 10 singles and three American Country Awards.
He was named Billboard’s 2010 Top New Country Artist.
His current tour will also see him make other stops in the Lone Star State this week including Rockwall on May 20, Spring on May 26, South Padre Island on May 27 and Hye on June 1.
“It’s felt great to get back out to the audience,” Corbin said. “I love live performances. That’s one of my favorite parts of what I do.”
For tickets and for more information about this week’s show, go to tinyurl.com/4dxhm9kz.
